ENCYCLOPEDIA

Words of Type brings together the terms used in typography, illustrated and explained in multiple languages.

The website was premiered in January 2025 at Face/Interface conference at Stanford University, with its first launch online. And it was presented again at ATypI 2025 in Copenhagen.

TODAY

This is the first version of the encyclopedia. It includes 200 terms covering multiple categories, such as type design anatomy, digital and analog typography, historical, technological and conceptual terms, as well as terms specific to certain scripts.

At each update, the descriptions and their translations will be improved, the list of words will grow, together with additional illustrations, as well as language translations.

STORY

Words of Type has been initiated by Lisa Huang, a French and Chinese typeface designer.

During her studies in typography and typeface design, she looked for descriptions of the terms used in any resources she could get her hands on (mostly in English, and about Latin script typography). She quickly realized that there is a great disparity in the amount and quality of ressources in French, even less so in Chinese, and these issues apply to many other languages too.

Along the years, Lisa started to write down as many translations as she could find for her own learning, with simple and concise descriptions.

The project became more and more ambitious as she realized that more languages should join as well (Spanish, German, etc.). So, she needed help to develop the project so it can become useful to others than herself.

Words of Type would make msot sense to exist as a freely accessible resource. So, the idea of a free website came first. But that costs money.

In late 2023, she launched a crowdfunding campaing on Kickstarter with the hope to collect the funding needed to develop and launch the initial version of the encyclopedia. Unfortunately, the campaign didn't succeed. But it gave a lot of visibility on the project, and attracted many people’s attention.

So, thankfully, the adventure continues, with the help of foundries as sponsors, and collaborators who contributed with their expertise.

PURPOSE(S)

Words of Type Encyclopedia aims to be a useful and accessible tool for everyone interested in typography and type design, at all times and from everywhere.

It will grow and improve over time, evolving like a living organism, as it is based on languages.

The project doesn't aim to become the one and only resource about typography. Instead, it aims to be a companion to the many great books and other media, educational programs, classes and workshops everywhere. It will help people to study, teach, use, and work with typography; to learn the typographic vocabulary in its many languages!

BIGGER PICTURE

The encyclopedia is part of a larger project with the same name: Words of Type .

Words of Type is a platform where learning and discovering knowledge about typography are made more accessible, with lectures, workshops, conversations, articles, and interviews. The encyclopedia comes as a (large) project within the initiative, and more will come in the future!

COMMUNITY

The encyclopedia has to be a project for people, which means that is has to be made by people. The words listed, their translations and their descriptions need to be reviewed, fixed, and improved by experts across the globe with various specialities who need a place to exchange (in English, and more).

To make that happen, we created WoT Community , where members are invited to meet and discuss with each other about the encyclopedia, among other benefits. The membership is a yearly paid subscription, starting at a reasonable price to remain accessible to most, and aims to cover its operating costs.

For more information about the initiative, see our Manifesto